Majors Minors & Maybes - Career Exploration for Curious Minds

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What if your teen’s future includes a career they’ve never even heard of?

Choosing a career can feel overwhelming when the possibilities seem limited to the jobs we already know. But what happens when students discover careers they didn’t know existed and realize their future could be bigger than they imagined?

In this bonus episode of Majors, Minors & Maybes, Dr. W. welcomes Dr. Kelly Teague, the First-Gen College Coach, for a conversation about helping parents and teens explore career paths beyond the familiar. Together, they uncover how family expectations, limited exposure, and uncertainty about college or career pathways can shape a student’s choices. They also discuss how curiosity, mentorship, and access to information can open new doors.

Whether your teen is saying, “I have no idea what I want to do,” or your family is navigating the college journey for the first time, this episode offers practical ways to start exploring possibilities without needing all the answers.

In this episode discover:

· Why teens can’t aspire to careers they’ve never been introduced to.

· How parents can support career exploration even if they haven’t navigated college themselves.

· Why choosing a college major doesn’t have to be the starting point of every career conversation.

· How first-generation students can find mentors, resources, and opportunities.

· A simple 15-minute Career Detective Challenge to help your teen investigate an unfamiliar career.

🎧 Tune in, get curious, and help your teen discover careers they never knew to ask about.

Subscribe to Majors, Minors & Maybes for unexpected careers, curious discoveries, and fresh perspectives on what’s possible. And share this episode with a parent, teacher, or student who could use a bigger map of the future.

Dr. Kelly Teague, the First-Gen College Coach, helps parents and teens navigate college and career possibilities through coaching, mentorship, and exposure to opportunities beyond the familiar.

Email: kelly@firstgencollegecoach.com

Instagram: @first.gen.college.coach

TikTok: @firstgencollegecoach

Facebook: First Gen College Coach

Website: https://linktr.ee/firstgencollegecoach

Other useful resources:

The Quasi Box Brainery http://www.thequasibox.com: A career exploration platform for 8th-12th graders that gives students hands-on ways to explore real STEAM careers so they discover what they love before choosing a college major.

Majors Minors & Maybes: https://www.thequasibox.com/majorsminorsmaybes

Show Notes:

Beyond ‘I Don’t Know’: Helping Teens and First-Gen Families Discover Careers They’ve Never Heard Of

Dr. W hosts Majors, Minors, and Maybes in a special episode focused on how parents and teens can expand career exploration beyond familiar job titles, especially for first-generation students. Guest Kelly Teague, a former educator and college/career readiness coach, explains how she began supporting first-gen students after noticing a major access gap in information, exposure, and guidance. Together they challenge common limiting assumptions “college or nothing,” needing a single passion, grades predicting success, choosing a path once, and reframe “I don’t know” as the start of investigation. Kelly offers practical strategies: start with interests and what teens don’t want, use day-in-the-life videos, talk with working adults, and take small next steps. They highlight unfamiliar careers like medical dosimetrist, wind turbine technician, elevator/escalator repairer, and museum conservator, and end with a 15-minute career detective challenge and resources to find support.

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

What if you could study the human brain, write computer code, and help uncover the mysteries of how we think, learn, and make decisions? Welcome to the world of computational neuroscience!

In this episode of Majors, Minors & Maybes, Dr. W. investigates the fascinating career of a computational neuroscientist. A scientific detective who combines neuroscience, computer science, mathematics, and data analysis to understand how the brain works.

Discover what computational neuroscientists do, where they work, and how they use mathematical models, programming, and neural data to investigate everything from decision-making to brain disorders. We'll explore career pathways, college majors that can lead to this career: including neuroscience, computer science, mathematics, physics, and engineering, along with research opportunities and internships to help students get started.

We'll examine the salary for related occupations, discuss the education often needed for research careers, and uncover why your undergraduate major doesn't have to determine your final career.

Plus, stick around for this week's Curious Career Fact and a Career Detective Challenge that will have you thinking differently about the connections between brains and machines!

In this episode, you'll discover:

• What a computational neuroscientist does and what a typical workday might look like
• How neuroscience, coding, mathematics, and artificial intelligence intersect
• Which college majors and courses can help prepare you for this career
• Where students can find neuroscience research and internship opportunities
• What related occupations earn and why salary depends on the specific role
• How computational neuroscience can contribute to our understanding of the brain

Whether you're a student exploring STEM careers, a parent helping your teen discover possibilities, an educator introducing students to interdisciplinary science, or simply someone fascinated by the brain, this episode will help you uncover a career you may never have considered.

🎧 Find us at https://www.thequasibox.com/majorsminorsmaybes

Show Notes:

Computational Neuroscientist: Where Neurons Meet Algorithms

Dr. W hosts Majors, Minors, and Maybes to investigate computational neuroscience, a career using mathematical models, statistics, simulations, programming, and data analysis to understand how the nervous system encodes, processes, and transmits information. The episode follows a vignette of Dr. Nia Lewin analyzing decision-making data: cleaning datasets, running statistical tests, building and tuning a computational model, and collaborating with experimental neuroscientists to generate testable predictions. Dr. W explains that computational neuroscientists are not just programmers, often work mainly at computers, and collaborate across neuroscience, math, physics, engineering, psychology, and computer science, with ties to NIH’s BRAIN Initiative and neuroAI. The show covers possible majors and coursework, internships and research routes (NIH and NSF), typical workplaces, and salary context using related BLS categories, noting many independent research roles require a PhD.

00:00 Neurons Meet Algorithms

01:14 What Is Computational Neuroscience

02:36 A Day in the Data

05:13 Neuro AI Connection

06:12 Office Hours Q and A

09:34 Tools and Daily Work

11:04 Where They Work

12:03 Majors and Pathways

15:42 Internships and Experience

17:56 Salary and Education

20:52 Brain Facts and Big Questions

23:19 Wrap Up and Next Episode

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How does a food idea become a product you can find on the grocery store shelf, thousands or even millions of times over?

In this episode of Majors, Minors & Maybes, Dr. W. investigates the world of food engineering, where engineering, food science, chemistry, physics, and technology come together to create, improve, and manufacture the foods we eat every day.

Discover what food engineers do, what the job is like, what to major in, where to intern, and what you can earn. We'll explore college pathways including food science, food engineering, chemical engineering, and mechanical engineering, along with career opportunities in food manufacturing, research, product development, and more.

Plus, we'll solve a delicious mystery: Why is making 100,000 perfectly crunchy snacks so much harder than making one?

Whether you're a student exploring STEM careers, a parent researching college majors, or simply curious about how food gets made, this episode offers a behind-the-scenes look at a career hiding in plain sight.

🎧 Listen in and investigate the Food Engineer.

Next time, we're heading inside the human brain to investigate the Computational Neuroscientist, where neuroscience meets computer science, mathematics and biology.

Show Notes:

Food Engineering: How Snacks Scale from Kitchen Idea to 100,000 Units

The episode of Majors, Minors, and Maybes follows the often-overlooked career of the food engineer, explaining how engineering principles are used to process, handle, store, package, and scale foods safely, efficiently, and consistently. Dr. W contrasts food engineering with food science, emphasizing that engineers focus on manufacturing systems and scaling lab successes to commercial production. A vignette featuring Rhonda, a snack-food packaging food engineer, illustrates troubleshooting a loss of crunch by identifying excess moisture from a drying-process change and then correcting it without raising costs, harming safety, or altering flavor. The script outlines typical duties, work settings, collaboration roles, relevant majors (food engineering/technology, food science, chemical, mechanical, biological/agricultural engineering), internship search strategies, and notes salary figures from IFT and BLS while cautioning titles vary. It ends with a grocery-store investigation challenge and teases a next episode on computational neuroscience.

00:00 There is Engineering Behind Your Food

01:36 What Food Engineers Do

02:35 Meet Rhonda Troubleshooting

04:14 Food Science vs Engineering

05:51 A Day in the Job

07:30 Majors That Lead Here

09:52 Internships and Experience

11:37 Career Spotlight and Pay

13:48 Scaling a Recipe Up

15:00 Your Grocery Store Challenge

15:34 Wrap Up and Next Episode

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

What if your love of weather could lead to a career that has almost nothing to do with simply checking the forecast?

In this episode of Majors, Minors & Maybes, Dr. W. investigates the fascinating world of the hydrometeorological analyst. A career where weather data, water systems, environmental science, and predictive modeling collide.

From rainfall and soil moisture to rivers, watersheds, and flood forecasting, these professionals help turn mountains of environmental data into information that can help us understand what happens when it rains.

Here's your career clue: You don't have to become a meteorologist to build a career around weather.

We'll explore what hydrometeorological analysts do, what it's like to work with weather and water data, which college majors can open the door, where students can gain experience, and how much closely related professionals can earn.

Plus, Dr. W. has one very important question:

If one inch of rain can produce 27,154 gallons of water on a single acre, where does it all go?

Get ready because the forecast has a career clue hiding inside it.

Listen in, get curious, and uncover a career you probably didn't know existed.

Don't forget to check out our website at https://www.thequasibox.com/majorsminorsmaybes

Show Notes: The Water Memory Keeper: Hydrometeorological Analyst

Dr. W’s Majors, Minors, and Maybes explores the hydrometeorological analyst, a career at the intersection of meteorology and hydrology that asks how weather affects water on the ground. Through the fictional vignette of Rio, a National Weather Service analyst monitoring a tropical system, the episode shows how these professionals use radar, satellite data, river gauges, soil saturation, and hydrologic models to forecast river response, issue flood alerts, track drought, and advise partners like dam operators and emergency managers. Dr. W explains key tasks (quantitative precipitation estimates/forecasts, streamflow monitoring, modeling, and communicating uncertainty), work settings (forecast offices and possible fieldwork), and suggested majors and skills spanning hydrology, atmospheric science, geology, environmental science, and data science. Salary context is given via BLS medians for hydrologists and atmospheric scientists, plus a stream-gauge and rainfall volume fact, before teasing a future episode on food engineering.

00:00 Weather Meets Water

00:27 What Is Hydrometeorology

02:06 Meet Rio On Duty

02:49 Forecasting The Flood

05:10 Office Hours Mindset

05:58 Meteorology Vs Hydrology

07:09 Core Job Duties

09:47 Work Environment

10:38 Majors And Skills

13:04 Internships And Experience

15:29 Salary And Schedule

17:25 Curious Facts And Wrap

19:18 Next Episode Teaser

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What if your UX design skills could help people make better decisions during a disaster?

In this episode of Majors, Minors & Maybes, we uncover the unexpected career of the Disaster Response UX Designer. A career at the intersection of UX design, human-centered design, technology, psychology, accessibility, and emergency management.

When a hurricane approaches, an evacuation order is issued, or first responders are working in chaotic conditions, having the right information isn't enough. People need to be able to find it, understand it, and act on it quickly. That's where UX design can make a critical difference.

We'll follow a day in the life of a disaster response UX designer and explore what happens behind the scenes when designers create digital tools for emergency managers, first responders, and communities. From user research and usability testing to accessibility, information architecture, prototyping, and designing for people under stress, this career goes far beyond making an app or website look good.

In this episode, Dr. W explores:

• What does a Disaster Response UX Designer actually do?
• How does human behavior change during an emergency and why does that matter for UX design?
• How can UX design improve emergency alerts, evacuation tools, dashboards, and disaster-response technology?
• What should you major in if you're interested in UX, emergency management, psychology, or human-centered design?
• Where can students find internships and experiences that combine technology, design, and disaster response?
• What can you expect to earn in a UX design career?

Whether you're a high school student exploring STEM careers, a college student choosing a major, a parent helping a student navigate career options, or simply someone fascinated by unusual careers, this episode is your reminder that your major doesn't have to define your career. Your major is just the beginning of the story.

Don't forget to check out our new website https://www.thequasibox.com/majorsminorsmaybes

Show Notes:

Disaster Response UX Designer: Designing Calm, Clarity, and Accessibility Under Pressure

The episode introduces the career of a disaster response UX designer, explaining how user experience design becomes critical in emergencies when people are stressed, time is limited, and conditions like weak Wi‑Fi or power outages can affect access. Through a vignette following Julia, a UX designer redesigning an emergency operations dashboard, it highlights testing with emergency managers, accessibility reviews to avoid color-only communication, and observing live response exercises to understand trust, cognitive load, and decision-making under pressure. The script outlines core tasks such as user research, journey mapping, prototyping, usability and accessibility testing, information architecture, and iterative redesign, emphasizing that good UX often means removing unused features. It discusses pathways into the field via majors like UX/HCI, psychology, emergency management, or computer/information science, plus internships in agencies and NGOs, and provides salary and job growth context using web and digital interface designer data.

00:00 What Is Disaster UX

02:36 Design Under Pressure

03:20 Meet Julia A Day

04:32 Testing With Managers

04:56 Accessibility In Crisis

05:37 Field Exercise Observations

07:51 Skills And Pathways

08:32 Office Hours Questions

10:25 Daily Tasks Breakdown

12:11 Majors And Career Stack

13:57 Internships And Research

15:23 Salary And Work Life

16:53 Curious Career Fact

17:17 Cognitive Load Lessons

18:06 Wrap Up And Next Episode

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What if your future career doesn’t have a job title yet?

The job market is changing fast. AI is reshaping work, new industries are emerging, and the skills employers want today may look very different a few years from now. Who’s actually paying attention to all of those changes and helping organizations figure out what comes next? Meet the Labor Market Futurist.

In this episode of Majors, Minors & Maybes, we explore a career that sits at the intersection of economics, data, research, technology, and a whole lot of curiosity. We talk about what labor market futurists actually do, how they spot emerging trends, what you can major in to get there, and where you might intern if you're intrigued by the future of work.

Here's a twist: The Labor Market Futurist isn't necessarily a job title you'll find on a college career website. You might build your way into it through economics, data science, public policy, sociology, business, or another field entirely.

We'll also look at the numbers behind some of the fastest-changing careers, what employers are likely to need next, and why being comfortable with uncertainty might be one of the most valuable career skills you can develop.

Majors Minors & Maybes has a new website. Check us out at https://www.thequasibox.com/majorsminorsmaybes

Show Notes:

Labor Market Futurist: Charting the Jobs That Don’t Exist Yet

Dr. W introduces the career of the labor market futurist, a role focused on forecasting how work will change as technology, demographics, education, migration, economic conditions, climate and energy transitions, and consumer behavior reshape industries and skills. The episode explains that these professionals don’t predict certainties but build data-informed scenarios to help universities, employers, workforce organizations, and policymakers prepare for emerging opportunities and risks, citing BLS projections of 5.2 million new U.S. jobs from 2024–2034 and World Economic Forum estimates of major global job churn and nearly 40% skill change by 2030. A vignette follows Diane, a sociologist-turned-futurist, who uses hiring trends, patents, investment flows, and climate reports to identify clean energy logistics growth in mid-sized rail cities, spurring new training programs and jobs. The script covers daily tasks, workplaces, key skills, related job titles, suggested majors/minors, internship targets, salary benchmarks, and fast-growing and declining occupations, concluding that “labor market futurist” is a build-your-own “definitely maybe” career and teasing a future episode on disaster response UX design.

00:00 Jobs That Don’t Exist Yet

00:49 Meet the Labor Market Futurist

01:20 Forces Shaping Future Work

02:25 Big Projections and Skill Shifts

03:33 Diane’s Clean Energy Breakthrough

04:46 Turning Data Into Decisions

07:01 Office Hours and Fit Check

07:42 What the Job Actually Is

09:50 Day to Day and Workplaces

11:02 Skills and Majors to Combine

14:17 Internships and Entry Paths

15:58 Salary Benchmarks and Choices

17:29 Fast Growth Jobs and Declines

18:33 Definitely Maybe and Wrap Up

19:45 Listener Call and Next Episode

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

Who designs the cities of tomorrow?

When you think about the future of cities, you might picture self-driving cars, futuristic buildings, or streets filled with sensors. But behind the technology is a very human profession: the Smart City Planner.

In this episode of Majors, Minors & Maybes, we go behind the scenes of a career that blends urban planning, technology, data, sustainability, and problem-solving. You'll spend a day in the life of a Smart City Planner, discovering what happens when traffic patterns, public transportation, water systems, energy use, and the needs of real people all collide.

You'll also hear from Curtis Ostrodka, a Smart City Planner, about how he found his way into the field, the misconceptions people have about smart city planning, and some of the most interesting problems he's been asked to solve.

Plus, we're answering the questions curious students and curious adults really want to know:

What does a Smart City Planner actually do? What should you major in? Where can you find internships and experience? What can you expect to earn? What skills matter most?

Dr. W. asks, could this be a career hiding in plain sight for you?!

Special Guest:

Curtis Ostrodka, AICP, LEED AP;

Director of Smart Communities

Show Notes:

Smart City Planner: Designing the City You Rarely Notice

The episode explores the career of a smart city planner through a day in the life of Louise Alvarez, who monitors city sensor dashboards to detect issues like an emerging water main leak, coordinates cross-department planning for a new neighborhood, observes real street behavior to improve intersection safety, and helps design an easy-to-use resident reporting app; her success is measured by how seamlessly the city works without residents noticing. Dr. W. explains that smart city planners use technology, data, and infrastructure to solve everyday urban problems while translating between technologists, government, and communities, and that paths into the field come from varied majors (e.g., urban planning, engineering, environmental science, computer science) and minors (e.g., GIS, data science). Curtis Ostrodka describes moving from aquatic ecology to urban planning and emphasizes the key misconception: it’s not about tech for its own sake, but community needs. The episode covers internships, typical tasks, salary ranges, and a pandemic project addressing the digital divide via public Wi-Fi and device programs, plus an 1850s sewer-system “smart city” fact, then teases a next episode on labor market futurists.

00:00 City Life Choreography

00:52 Meet Louise Alvarez

01:51 Designing A New Neighborhood

03:31 Field Observations

04:14 City App And Results

05:41 Office Hours Explained

06:54 Degrees And Pathways

08:35 Curtis Career Journey

09:45 Real Work And Misconceptions

12:02 Breaking In And Salaries

14:28 Digital Divide Case Study

15:47 Curious Career Fact

16:24 Wrap Up And Next Episode

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What happens before the rain begins?

Long before storm clouds roll in, water resource engineers are already at work, using science, engineering, and technology to predict floods, protect communities, safeguard clean drinking water, and design the systems that keep our world flowing.

In this episode of Majors, Minors & Maybes, Dr. W sits down with water resource engineer Tori Morgan to uncover one of STEM's most impactful and often overlooked careers. You'll discover what water resource engineers really do, the challenges they solve every day, where they work, how to become one, and why this career is becoming increasingly important as communities face climate change, population growth, and aging infrastructure.

You'll also step into the shoes of a fictional water resource engineer during a high-stakes storm event, giving you a behind-the-scenes look at how engineering decisions made before the first raindrop falls can protect entire neighborhoods.

Whether you're a student exploring STEM careers, a parent, educator, or simply someone who's ever wondered where your drinking water comes from or how cities prepare for severe weather, this episode will change the way you think about the world around you.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• What a water resource engineer does
• How engineers help prevent floods and protect water resources
• The education and career path into water resources engineering
• Where water resource engineers work beyond engineering firms
• What a typical day looks like in the office and in the field
• The skills that make someone successful in this growing STEM career

Because sometimes the most important careers are the ones you never notice until something goes wrong.

🎧 Subscribe to Majors, Minors & Maybes and join Dr. W as she uncovers curious careers, one story at a time.

Show Notes:

Dr. W hosts Majors, Minors, and Maybes to spotlight water resources engineering, a career focused on protecting communities from floods and drought, ensuring clean drinking water, and preparing cities for climate change using hydrology, GIS, and computer modeling. A vignette follows Lori, who uses a hydraulic “digital twin” of the city to forecast storm impacts, coordinate with public works and emergency management, clear a culvert and storm drains, and prevent flooding during a major rain event. Engineer Tori Morgan explains the role’s civil/environmental roots, daily challenges like aging pipelines and emerging contaminants such as PFOS, and the hidden systems behind a faucet from supply and treatment to distribution. The episode covers pathways (consulting, utilities, academia, nonprofits, and agencies like EPA/FDEP), education, internships, PE licensing, typical work mix, salaries, and a “curious career fact” about watershed digital twins, ending with a community observation challenge and a tease of the next episode on smart city planners.

00:00 Water Crisis Hook

00:44 Meet the Career

01:27 Why Water Fails

02:48 Lori Storm Day

04:51 Stopping Floods Early

07:49 Invisible Wins

08:30 Skills and Interests Fit

09:27 Expert Defines Role

10:15 Aging Pipes and PFAS

12:26 From Faucet Backwards

14:24 Career Paths Options

19:07 Education Internships PE

21:37 Day to Day Balance

22:48 Salary and Demand

24:13 Projects That Inspire

30:19 Digital Twins Fact

31:18 Be a Water Detective

32:22 Next Episode Teaser

33:06 Final Sign Off

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What if your favorite store, hotel, or airport was designed to be memorable before you ever saw a logo?

In this episode of Majors, Minors & Maybes, we're following our noses into the fascinating world of the Olfactory Branding Consultant, the professionals who use scent to shape experiences, influence emotions, and help brands tell unforgettable stories.

Meet Lila, a former chemistry student turned scent strategist, as she tackles a unique challenge: creating a signature fragrance for a sustainable shoe company's first retail store. Along the way, we'll explore how chemistry, psychology, marketing, and creativity come together in one of the most unexpected careers you've probably never heard of.

You'll discover:

• How companies use scent to build brand identity and customer loyalty
• The science behind why smells trigger powerful memories and emotions
• What olfactory branding consultants actually do day-to-day
• Education paths, internships, salaries, and career opportunities in the fragrance and sensory experience industry
• Why some of the world's most recognizable brands invest in signature scents

Whether you're a student exploring career possibilities, a teacher looking for real-world STEM connections, or simply curious about the invisible forces shaping everyday experiences, this episode will leave you seeing and smelling the world a little differently.

Sometimes the most powerful branding isn't what you see, it's what you smell.

New episodes biweekly. Follow, share, and join us as we uncover curious careers one story at a time.

Show Notes:

The Career Behind Signature Scents: Olfactory Branding Consultants

Dr. W explores olfactory branding consulting, a career blending chemistry, psychology, marketing, and creativity to help brands shape customer emotions and memory through signature scents. The episode explains how scent influences trust, mood, spending, and return visits, and highlights its growing use in hospitality, retail, fashion, and healthcare. A vignette follows Lila, a former chemistry major in New York City, as she researches a sustainable shoe brand and develops a custom in-store fragrance through “scent sketching” and iterative testing. Dr. W then breaks down what consultants do, where they work, common education pathways and training, internships, key skills, schedules, flexibility, and salary ranges. The episode notes Singapore Changi Airport’s custom “orchid tea” scent and ends with a challenge to notice designed scents and a teaser for a future episode on water resources engineering.

00:00 Smell Shapes Behavior

00:57 Meet Scent Strategists

02:15 Lila Builds A Brand Scent

04:40 Why Scent Works

06:37 Office Hours Overview

07:19 What They Actually Do

07:56 Where They Work

08:56 Degrees And Training Paths

10:48 Skills Beyond Smelling

11:18 Schedule And Lifestyle

12:38 Salary And Growth

13:21 Curious Career Fact

14:06 Challenge And Wrap Up

15:05 Next Episode Teaser

15:48 Final Goodbye

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What if the next breakthrough in cancer treatment, genetic research, or personalized medicine depended on someone you've probably never heard of?

In this episode of Majors, Minors & Maybes, we're uncovering the fascinating world of the Scientific Curator. The STEM professional responsible for organizing, preserving, and protecting the biological samples and scientific data that fuel life-changing medical discoveries.

Through a compelling fictional story inspired by real careers, you'll step inside a high-security biobank where one tiny data error could derail years of precision medicine research. Then, we'll pull back the curtain on the real career: where scientific curators work, how to become one, the education path, salary expectations, and why this behind-the-scenes profession is becoming increasingly important in biotechnology, genomics, healthcare, and biomedical research.

Whether you're a student exploring STEM careers, an educator introducing career pathways, or simply curious about the hidden jobs shaping our future, this episode will change the way you think about modern medicine.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• What a Scientific Curator actually does
• How scientific curation supports precision medicine and genomic research
• Where Scientific Curators work: from hospitals and biobanks to pharmaceutical companies and research institutes
• Degrees, skills, and education pathways into the field
• Career outlook, salary insights, and work style
• A surprising "Curious Career Fact of the Week" about preserving biological samples for future discoveries

Sometimes the biggest breakthroughs in science begin with the people making sure every sample, every record, and every detail is exactly where it needs to be.

Show Notes:

Scientific Curator: The Hidden Guardian of Biobanks and Precision Medicine

Dr. W. hosts “Majors, Minors, and Maybes” to spotlight the scientific curator, a behind-the-scenes profession that organizes, preserves, and safeguards biological samples and scientific data critical to precision medicine. The episode explains how curators work across hospitals, labs, universities, pharma, biotech, genomic centers, and biobanks to ensure proper storage, accurate labeling, ethical consent, legal compliance, and traceable sample histories so research remains trustworthy. A fictional vignette follows Dr. Lena Morales, lead curator at the Meridian Genomics Institute, who detects a single transposed digit that misrouted a trial sample, halts downstream analysis, and prevents compromised cancer research. Dr. W outlines typical education pathways, key skills (systems thinking, databases, quality control, ethics, genomics/bioinformatics), work style, and salary ranges, and notes biobanks may store specimens in liquid nitrogen at -196°C. The episode ends by teasing olfactory branding consultants for next time.

00:00 Frozen Future Vial

00:44 Meet Scientific Curators

02:27 Precision Medicine Stakes

03:19 Lena in the Biobank

04:24 Barcode Error Crisis

05:47 Why This Role Matters

06:43 Office Hours Breakdown

07:03 Where Curators Work

08:20 Education Pathways

09:43 Day to Day Work Style

10:53 Salary and Growth

12:24 Curious Fact Time Capsules

12:55 Listener Questions Wrap

13:46 Next Episode Teaser

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What do potato chips, yogurt, frozen pizza, sports drinks, and even your favorite cookies have in common?

Behind each one is a food scientist.

In this episode of Majors, Minors & Maybes, we're uncovering the fascinating career that blends chemistry, biology, creativity, and problem-solving into one delicious profession. Join us as we follow a day in the life of a food scientist, explore how food products are developed and tested, and discover the surprising science behind flavor, texture, safety, and shelf life.

You'll also hear from Ranee Anderson, a real food scientist who shares what it's like to work in the field, how foods are tested for bacteria during processing and shipping, the biggest surprises about the profession, and advice for students who aren't sure whether they belong in STEM.

Whether you're curious about science, love food, or are looking for a career that's equal parts laboratory and innovation, this episode serves up a career you may not have considered, but probably interact with every single day.

Show Notes:

Following the Flavor: Inside the World of Food Science

The episode of “Majors, Minors, and Maybes” follows food scientist Josie as she troubleshoots chip texture and flavor in a lab, adjusting humidity, extrusion settings, and seasoning ratios while also tackling sodium reduction, shelf-life testing, plant-based protein experiments, and food safety reviews. Dr. W. explains that food science is controlled experimentation that blends chemistry, creativity, and collaboration to make foods safe, stable, and enjoyable across manufacturing and shipping. Guest Renee Anderson describes how research determines safe storage conditions and how food scientists study pathogens like salmonella, listeria, and E. coli, and she highlights the field’s breadth and varied entry points. The script outlines common degrees, internships, and related experiences, gives salary ranges (about $50k–$65k entry-level and $100k+ senior), shares a fact about annatto creating cheddar’s orange color, and teases a next episode on scientific curators of human genetic data.

00:00 The Science of Crunch

01:24 Meet Josie in the Lab

03:19 Dialing In Flavor

04:07 A Day in Food Science

05:53 Is Food Science for You

06:35 Food Safety and the Journey

07:54 Guest Renee on Bacteria

10:09 Food Science Career Paths

12:00 Degrees Internships and Skills

13:08 Belonging in STEM

15:06 Paychecks and Reality Check

17:14 Surprising Foods Scientists Touch

18:54 Curious Fact Color and Taste

19:46 Renee on Phages and Detection

21:01 Wrap Up and Next Episode

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In this episode of Majors, Minors & Maybes, we explore the fascinating world of the Medical Game Designer. The creative minds building video games, VR simulations, and interactive experiences that teach patients, train doctors, and make healthcare less intimidating.

Through the story of Andie, a designer creating a game that helps kids understand and manage asthma, we uncover how gaming, medicine, psychology, and technology collide to create real-world impact.

From virtual emergency rooms to patient education adventures, this episode dives into:

• how medical games are developed
• the science behind learning through play
• what to study if you’re interested in this career
• internships, volunteer opportunities, and skills that help you break into the field

Whether you love coding, storytelling, healthcare, or gaming, this episode might just introduce you to a career you never knew existed.

Press start on one of the most unexpected careers in healthcare.

Show Notes:

Medical Game Designer: Turning Healthcare Into a High-Score Mission

Dr. W explores the career of medical game designers, who combine game mechanics with medical knowledge to train healthcare professionals, educate patients, support rehabilitation, and reduce anxiety before procedures using tools like VR, AR, and mobile apps. The episode follows eight-year-old Liam using a VR asthma game where levels teach triggers, inflammation, and inhaler use, improving his confidence and adherence. Andie, a biomedical engineering major with a game design minor, is introduced as the creator who partnered with clinicians and developers after seeing kids’ fear in a children’s hospital. Dr. W explains daily work like building realistic scenarios and decision trees, collaborating with medical teams, user testing, and using gameplay data as a research tool, plus pathways into the field, portfolio-building tips, workplaces, schedules, and salary ranges.

00:00 Saving Lives Like a Game

00:19 Meet Dr W and the Quest

00:48 Liam’s VR Asthma Mission

02:05 Andy Builds the Game

03:56 What Medical Game Designers Do

05:03 Office Hours Career Advice

06:44 A Day in the Job

07:55 Majors Minors and Skill Stack

09:15 Breaking In Salary and Workplaces

11:11 Why This Career Matters

11:46 Tech Data and High Scores

12:21 Wrap Up and Next Episode

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From astronaut teamwork and stress management to designing safer systems for pilots and space crews, this career sits at the intersection of psychology, engineering, neuroscience, and space exploration. But what does an aerospace behavioral scientist actually do every day? How do you study human behavior when gravity disappears? And what can students study now if they dream of helping humans thrive beyond Earth?

Through storytelling, curious career exploration, and practical career insight, this episode uncovers a profession most people have never heard of, but one that may shape the future of human spaceflight.

Perfect for students who love psychology, aviation, STEM, human performance, design thinking, or simply asking: “How do humans adapt when the world around them changes completely?”

Because sometimes the biggest challenge in space… isn’t the rocket. It’s understanding the humans inside it.

Show Notes:

Aerospace Behavioral Scientist: Engineering Human Resilience in Space

Dr. W. introduces the career of an aerospace behavioral scientist, experts who study how astronauts think, feel, communicate, and perform during long-duration missions in confined, high-stakes environments. Through a vignette of subtle crew tension and the example of Luna, a psychology major who added human factors engineering and pursued a master’s in space psychology, the episode explains how these scientists research isolation, sleep, stress, and team dynamics using Earth-based simulations and tools like behavioral monitoring, interventions, and virtual-reality “space inoculation” training. The script outlines relevant psychology specializations, complementary majors (e.g., human factors, aerospace, data science), the typical need for graduate school, workplaces like NASA’s Behavioral Health and Performance Lab and military/aviation labs, and a salary range of $75,000–$150,000. It closes by teasing a future episode on medical game designers.

00:00 Astronaut Mindset Mystery

00:55 Life in a Tin Can

02:46 Meet Luna’s Origin Story

05:54 What They Really Do

08:05 Training and Education Path

11:20 Career Reality and Pay

11:47 Day to Day and VR

12:53 Wrap Up and Next Episode

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Do you know what you want to be when you grow up?

Season 2 of Majors, Minors & Maybes is back! This time, we’re digging even deeper into the careers you didn’t know existed, but suddenly can’t stop thinking about.

We’re talking about the kind of jobs that make you pause mid-scroll and say, “Wait that’s a thing?” The kind of careers your guidance counselor definitely forgot to mention. The kind that sound made up… until they’re not.

This season, we’re opening the door to even more curious and quietly fascinating professions, one story at a time.

So, whether you’ve got a five-year plan, no plan, or a color-coded spreadsheet that’s hanging on by a thread, you’re in the right place.

Because around here, curiosity is the major and everything else? Optional.

Season 2 drops now and you’re going to want to take notes!

Show Notes:

Unexpected Paths: Careers Shaping the Future

The script introduces a season focused on innovative, future-shaping careers that people often stumble upon rather than plan for, highlighting jobs most people aren’t aware exist. It invites listeners who wonder “what else could I be doing?” to follow along as the show traces unexpected paths to uncover emerging roles shaping the future before they’re widely known. Dr. W. positions the season as a guide for those seeking alternatives beyond familiar options and closes by addressing that season two begins now.

00:00 Careers You Stumble Upon

00:11 Digging for Future Jobs

00:20 Hidden World of Work

00:23 Following Unexpected Paths

00:30 Jobs You Haven't Heard Of

00:33 Shaping the Future Early

00:39 What Else Could I Do

00:42 Season Two Starts Now

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What happens when fashion meets the future? Enter the world of the 3D garment/apparel designer. The pros turning pixels into pants and software into style. In this episode of Majors, Minors & Maybes, we follow Lila, a digital designer whose “day at the office” includes sculpting clothes in 3D, stress-testing fabrics in virtual wind tunnels, and making sure a gown drapes flawlessly before a single thread is cut.

It’s fast, it’s sustainable, and it’s transforming how the fashion industry works, from haute couture to your hoodie.

Bonus: You’ll even hear from Mikelle Drew-Pellum, a real 3D apparel designer, about why this career is more than a trend. It’s the future of fashion.

If you’ve ever wondered who designs the clothes you can’t yet touch but already love, this episode is for you.

Mikelle Drew-Pellum

http://383designstudionyc.com

http://instagram.com/383design

http://linkedin.com/in/mikelledrew

http://tiktok.com/@383design

Show Notes:

3D Garment/Apparel Designer: Fashion Built in Pixels Before Fabric

Dr. W launches season two of “Majors, Minors, and Maybes” by spotlighting the 3D garment/apparel designer, a career blending fashion, code, and sustainability by creating virtual garments that drape, stretch, and move before any physical sample is made. Through a day-in-the-life of Lila, the episode shows digital prototyping, instant global collaboration, stress-testing fit and fabrics, and designing metaverse-only couture for avatars. Dr. W explains how tools like CLO 3D and Browzwear speed timelines, reduce textile waste, and expand fashion into digital wardrobes, and includes insights from 3D designer Mikelle Drew Pellum on patternmaking, virtual sewing, accurate fit, and sustainability gains from fewer physical samples. The episode suggests relevant majors, key skills, work settings, a $60K–$100K+ salary range, and teases next week’s career: Aerospace Behavioral Scientist.

00:00 Season Two Returns

01:44 Meet the 3D Designer

02:02 A Day With Lila

03:59 Office Hours Breakdown

05:13 Pro Explains the Process

05:54 How to Get Started

07:29 Why 3D Changes Fashion

08:41 Sustainability Impact

09:55 Digital Fashion Boom

10:58 Wrap Up and Next Episode

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It's our season finale and we are going out in style with wrinkle-free, perfectly packed layers. In this episode, we meet Jordan, a personal travel gear curator who turns chaotic packing into a luxury experience. Think RFID kits, climate-smart wardrobes, and outfits tailored by region, vibe, and weather app.

But that’s not all, we’re reflecting on our wild ride through the wonderfully weird world of work, and giving you a sneak peek at what’s ahead.

So before you jet off for the holidays, press play, because your passport isn’t the only thing getting stamped with inspiration.

Show Notes:

Unpacking the Role of a Personal Travel Gear Curator

In the season finale of 'Majors, Minors, and Maybes, Dr. W, a professor and part-time career sleuth, introduces us to the unique and fascinating job of a personal travel gear curator. This professional ensures clients travel efficiently and in style, preparing them with everything from wardrobes to tech gadgets. We meet Jordan, a travel gear curator who shares their experience of organizing perfect travel kits for various climates and needs. The episode not only delves into the logistics and creativity required for the role but also explores the potential career opportunities in travel consulting, luxury concierge services, and fashion logistics. Dr. W. wraps up the season with tips and insights, encouraging listeners to look into their quirks for potential career paths and teasing the upcoming second season.

00:00 Introduction to the Personal Travel Gear Curator

00:54 Meet Jordan: The Personal Travel Gear Curator

01:26 The Art and Science of Packing

01:46 Season Finale Reflections

02:19 Final Office Hours: Holiday Edition

02:40 Career Advice for Travel Enthusiasts

03:09 High-End Travel Curation

03:28 Season Wrap-Up and Future Plans

03:57 Holiday Wishes and Farewell

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What do you get when you cross a researcher with a storyteller? A hybrid writing scientific consultant. These are the folks who make complex science not just readable, but unforgettable. In this episode, we follow Milo from grant proposals to blog posts, decoding breakthroughs in genetics one minute, and drafting policy briefs the next.

Whether it’s helping doctors understand the latest studies or turning lab results into public health campaigns, Milo's job is where precision meets prose.

Get ready for a behind-the-scenes look at a career that blends curiosity, communication, and just the right amount of caffeine. If you've ever asked, “But who translates the science?” This one is for you.

Show Notes:

The Hybrid Writing Science Consultant: Bridging the Gap Between Data and Storytelling

In this episode of Majors, Minors, and Maybes, Dr. W. dives into the unique and fascinating career of a hybrid writing science consultant. Meet Milo, a professional who translates complex scientific ideas into clear and engaging narratives for various audiences, including research teams and the general public. Learn what it takes to succeed in this role that demands both precision and creativity. Dr. W. discusses the skills required, potential career paths, and the significant impact this career has on bridging the gap between science and society. Ideal for those with a background in science and a passion for storytelling, this episode unveils how such professionals make scientific information accessible and impactful.

00:00 Introduction to the Podcast

00:27 Meet Milo: The Science Whisperer

00:52 A Day in the Life of a Science Consultant

01:50 Is This Career for You?

02:24 The Dual Role: Researcher and Writer

02:56 Building a Career in Science Consulting

03:48 Where Science Consultants Work

04:10 Skills and Salary Insights

04:51 The Impact of Science Writers

05:22 Conclusion and Next Steps

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What do medical manikins, high-stakes drama, and behind-the-scenes brilliance have in common? Meet the Clinical Simulation Specialist. These are the folks who builds immersive healthcare training scenarios where the stakes feel real, but the patients are not. From heart attacks on cue to VR surgical rehearsals, Taylor here you will how a blend of tech, theatre, and medicine prepares our future healthcare heroes. It’s part ER, part Hollywood, and 100% real-world impact.

Get ready for a career that’s got adrenaline, innovation, and just a dash of stage fright.

Show Notes:

Behind the Scenes of Medical Training: The Role of a Clinical Simulation Specialist

In this episode of Majors, Minors, and Maybes, Dr. W. delves into the fascinating world of clinical simulation specialists. This unique profession blends technology, healthcare, and theater to create lifelike medical emergencies for training purposes. From programming high-fidelity mannequins to handling VR simulations, these specialists ensure healthcare providers are well-prepared for real-world emergencies. The episode covers job responsibilities, necessary qualifications, and potential career paths in this innovative field. Next, the show teases a look into the role of science writers who turn complex data into accessible information.

00:00 Introduction to Clinical Simulation

00:44 Meet the Clinical Simulation Specialist

01:03 A Day in the Life of a Simulation Specialist

02:14 The Impact and Scope of the Role

02:50 Is This Career for You?

04:01 Pathways to Becoming a Simulation Specialist

05:20 Fun Facts and Advanced Simulations

06:27 Conclusion and Next Episode Teaser

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This Halloween bonus episode of Majors, Minors & Maybes takes us into the shadows of the courtroom with a career you’ve probably never heard of, the medical-legal illustrator. Think of them as detectives with a pencil translating X-rays, medical jargon, and surgical notes into visuals so clear they can sway a jury.

In this bite-sized, slightly spooky side quest, we peel back the curtain on a day in their life, explore how art and anatomy collide in the pursuit of justice, and even hear directly from a real medical-legal illustrator! Expect a touch of gore, a dash of whimsy, and plenty of curiosity as we sketch out a job that proves truth really can be illustrated.

Perfect for Halloween week, or anytime you like your careers with a little extra edge.

Show Notes:

Unveiling Medical-Legal Illustration: The Art of Courtroom Clarity

In this special Halloween edition of 'Majors, Minors, and Maybes,' listeners are introduced to the intriguing world of medical-legal illustration. The host explores a career that bridges the gap between medicine and law, transforming complex medical evidence into clear, visual stories for the courtroom. Featuring insights from professional medical-legal illustrator Annie Gaugh, the episode delves into the unique responsibilities and impactful work of these illustrators in cases of catastrophic injury, medical malpractice, and wrongful death. From sketching detailed anatomical drawings to working closely with radiologists and testifying doctors, medical-legal illustrators play a crucial role in justice. With only about 2,000 medical illustrators globally and a mere 20% specializing in the legal field, this niche career offers a fascinating glimpse into the intersection of art, science, and law.

00:00 Introduction to the Halloween Special

00:18 What is a Medical Legal Illustrator?

02:10 A Day in the Life of a Courtroom Artist

02:50 Balancing Gore and Clarity

03:36 The Role of Medical Legal Illustrators in Court

05:13 The Niche Field of Medical Legal Illustration

07:12 Conclusion and Halloween Sign-Off

Meet Annie Gough:

https://injuryillustrated.com/about-annie-gough/

Don't forget to check out her book: Injury Illustrated: How Medical Images Win Legal Cases by R. Annie Gough, MS, CMI

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Bugs, bytes, and a changing climate? Yes, it’s a thing! In this episode of Majors, Minors & Maybes, we meet the climate entomology informatics specialist. It’s a mouthful of a job title that basically means they track insects using data to understand how climate change is shaking up ecosystems.

From digital fieldwork to predictive models, this is a career that blends biology, tech, and environmental sleuthing. Tune in as we decode how tiny creatures are giving us big clues about the planet’s future and why bug-loving data nerds just might save the world.

Get ready for a career story full of algorithms, antennae, and aha moments.

Show Notes:

Beetles, Data, and Climate: The Role of a Climate Entomology Informatics Specialist

In this episode of Majors, Minors, and Maybes, hosted by Dr. W., we explore the fascinating and niche career of a Climate Entomology Informatics Specialist. Through a mix of storytelling and expert insights, we learn how professionals like Alex use big data, environmental models, and coding to study how insects respond to climate change. The episode covers everything from the educational path to skill requirements and the exciting real-world impact of this role. We also delve into the blend of fieldwork and data science that characterizes the job, offering a detailed breakdown for anyone intrigued by the intersection of ecology, technology, and environmental conservation. Dr. W. wraps up by teasing the next episode, which will delve into the world of Clinical Simulation Specialists.

00:00 Introduction to Climate Entomology Informatics

00:46 Meet Alex: A Day in the Life

01:53 Office Hours: Bug Data and Biodiversity

03:59 Career Path: Becoming a Climate Data Detective

05:47 Curious Career Facts of the Week

06:26 Conclusion and Next Episode Preview